Virgil 2009 Shoot Interview

The road to WrestleMania isn’t always paved with gold. For one wrestler, it was a rough road to the top. RF Video sits down with a wrestler who was part of two of the biggest angles in wrestling history. RF Video is proud to present to you the Virgil Shoot Interview.

Virgil has a tremendous story and he tells it all to RF Video. Virgil has some great stories about his early days as a preliminary wrestler for both the WWE and Jim Crockett Promotions. Did he encounter any racism during that time? Who mentored Virgil? How was he treated backstage?

Virgil talks about training with the legendary Wild Samoans. Training with the Samoans wasn’t easy, especially when one of them barely speaks English. Hear Virgil recount frustrating days training with Sika in the ring. How did Sika compensate his lack of English during training?

Virgil talks about his early days on the independents? Virgil talks about the cast of characters he traveled with. Virgil recounts his days in Memphis before he got into the WWE. Virgil talks about all of the Memphis legends including Jerry Lawler, Jerry Jarrett, and Bill Dundee. What would a conversation about Memphis be like without talking about the partying?

We then go head-first into his WWE career. How was he discovered? How did he react? Why did he think he was being ribbed and by whom? What was his first conversation like with Vince McMahon? Virgil takes us through the entire process of signing his WWE contract.

Virgil then goes into great detail about how he got his gimmick. Who came up with his character? Was it really a rib on Dusty Rhodes? What were his first impressions of Ted DiBiase? How involved was Vince with the gimmick? How involved was Hulk Hogan with his gimmick? Virgil also recounts some great stories filming the Million Dollar Man vignettes.

Virgil goes to great length recounting his days with the Million Dollar Man. Virgil talks about working with all of the legends including Hogan, Randy Savage, Jake Roberts, and the Ultimate Warrior. How crazy did the fans get during these angles? What was it like traveling with Andre the Giant? Were the boys jealous of all of the Million Dollar Man perks?

Virgil is a rare wrestler who as a part of two of wrestling’s most famous angles. Virgil recounts his days in the NWO. Who gave him the names Vincent and Shane? Were they ribs on the McMahons? How did the McMahons react? Did he like Hall and Nash? How different was Hogan in WCW? How was Eric Bischoff different from Vince McMahon? How frustrating was it to see the NWO continue to add members?

Virgil is also quite candid about the downslide of his career. How did WCW politics impact his career there? What was it like going from the top angle to jobbing on WCW Saturday Night? Was WCW mismanaged? What led to his leaving WCW? Virgil gives you both sides of WCW from the top of the cards to the bottom.

Virgil addresses all of the stories about his convention and independent appearances. What does he think about the infamous picture of him alone at a table on the Internet? Did he really challenge a wrestler to a shoot and back out? How does he feel about the fans he has met on the convention circuit? Why does he continue to wear NWO colors in 2009?

This is a golden opportunity to hear from someone that has been on top in two of wrestling’s biggest angles in two different decades. You have read about the legend of Virgil on the conventions now hear from the legend himself. You will see a side of Virgil unseen anywhere else. It is with great honor that RF Video presents to you the Virgil Shoot Interview.

Were you a wrestling fan growing up
How did you wind up getting into the business
Was the training more difficult than you thought
Is it true you did some squash matches for Crockett Promotions early on
How did the locker room treat you
Did anyone take you under their wing
Do you think you were too green for that spot
Who were some of the guys you worked with
Etiquette was a big deal back then for new guys, was there anything you did in retrospect that you got heat
How did you wind up training under the Samoans
How did their training differ from your previous training
Were there things you thought you knew before you trained with them that you really didn’t know
Who was a better teacher, Afa or Sika
Can you tell a story about Sika trying to teach a backflip
Memories of the Tonga Kid
Memories of Samu
Who came up with the name Lucius Brown
How did you get into the WWE as a job guy
Memories of working with Paul Orndorff
What were some of your biggest paydays like early on
Who were your favorite guys to work with on the indys
What was the difference in breaking in back then as opposed to today
What are the differences on the independents from back then as to today and the talent of wrestlers
How did you come up with S.T. Jones
Did you get any heat from S.D.
How did you wind up getting into Memphis
Memories of Memphis
Thoughts on Jerry Lawler
Thoughts on Jerry Jarrett
Did you encounter racism back then
How hot was the territory
What was the party scene like
Memories of the weekly loop
Who did you travel with
Any good travel stories
Memories of matches with Bill Dundee
Memories teaming with Rocky Johnson
Memories of his son Dwayne
The Nasty Boys did a shoot where they said Dwayne would come drink in their apartment and Rocky would get mad. Do you remember this?
Memories of the Nastys from Memphis
Who taught you the most down there whether in the ring or through advice
Memories of matches with the Freebirds
Did anyone rib you
How did you wind up in the WWE
Who called you
Had you sent them any tapes or anything
Did you ever try getting into WCW
What happened when you called the WWE back
Memories of your first conversation with Vince McMahon
Did Vince remember you from your days as a squash guy
Initial impressions and memories when you met him
How did your first meeting go
What happened at the second meeting
Initial impressions of Hulk Hogan
How did you and Ted Dibiase gel the first time you met
Did you like him
Who came up with the name Virgil
Were you told it was a rib on Dusty Rhodes
Memories traveling with Dibiase
Did you get along well
Were you able to learn a lot from him
Do you remember a particular match where he did something you saw that made a lasting impression on you
How hot were the crowds for the feud between you guys and Hogan
Memories working with Hogan
Did it frustrate you early on not being able to wrestle
How did the locker room treat you
Memories of any Owen Hart ribs
Who did you work out with
Memories of some of the vignettes you guys did
Is it true that to keep the gimmick up you guys had first class treatment everywhere
Did you get any heat from the boys for it
How involved was Vince with the gimmick
Memories of Randy Savage
Memories of Jake Roberts
Memories of matches with Nailz
How did the boys react to the incident between Nailz and Vince
What do you remember about the ring boy scandal
Did it impact the boys
Memories of first getting your chance to wrestle against the Rhodes’
Did Dusty give you any grief about the name
Thoughts on Dusty
What was the most heat you remember you and Ted getting during the run you had on top
Memories of Andre the Giant
Was he as miserable as people say
Thoughts on Bobby Heenan
Memories of Ultimate Warrior
Who’s idea was it to turn you babyface
Were you for or against it
Was it hard to adjust to not traveling first class anymore
Memories of your angle with Roddy Piper
Memories of matches with Ted Dibiase
Memories of wrestling Kerry Von Erich
Memories of Mr. Perfect
Any good Hennig ribs
Memories of wrestling at WrestleMania
Memories of matches with the Nasty Boys
Memories of matches with the Repo Man
Memories of the Honkytonk Man
What was the travel schedule like back then
Memories of the Hart Foundation
Memories of the Undertaker
Memories of matches with Rick Martel
Memories of Shawn Michaels
What was it like at the time being a WWE superstar
How did you wind up finishing with the WWE
Did you leave on good terms
What were your immediate plans
How did you wind up getting into WCW
Initial impressions of Eric Bischoff
How different was the locker room atmosphere from WWE
Compare Bischoff and Vince
Were you still close with Ted at the time
Were you apprehensive about taking the name Vincent
Initial memories of the NWO angle
Thoughts on Hall and Nash
Had Hogan changed at all
Was it frustrating when they kept adding guys to the NWO
Was there a lot of heat in WCW with old WCW guys who were jealous of the NWO push
Was the NWO a hotter angle than the Dibiase-Hogan run?
Did any of Scott Hall’s problems interfere with business
Memories and thoughts on Goldberg
Thoughts on Ric Flair
Memories of the Harlem Heat
Memories of Buff Bagwell
Memories of the Steiners
Who’s idea was it to rename you Shane
Did you like that
Memories of the West Texas Rednecks
Curt did an interview where he said Hogan had the gimmick squashed because it was getting too over. Do you believe that?
Thoughts on the Giant
Thoughts on Lex Luger
Thoughts on Sting
Memories managing Ernest Miller
Do you think guaranteed contracts hurt WCW
Was it frustrating to be doing jobs towards the end
Do you think there is anything you could have done different to stay on top
How did you wind up finishing with them
Did you attempt to go to the WWE
Have you ever tried going back in recent years
Do you think your “Vincent” gimmick has blackballed you from there
Are you still close to Ted Dibiase
Thoughts on his son in the WWE
Thoughts on the Benoit family tragedy
Did you see The Wrestler
Are you aware of a picture that has gone around the Internet of you sitting under a huge sign at a convention with nobody in line
Do you think you are misunderstood at times
Is it hard to keep kayfabe today
Thoughts on the Iron Sheik
Would you ever write a book
Is it true that you are a teacher today
Do your students remember you from your wrestling days
Memories of doing shows for the troops
What happened earlier this year when you called out some wrestler named The Vulture for a shoot in the UK and when he showed up you gave him a t-shirt
Thoughts on UFC
Fav and least fav guys to work with
Fav ribs and road stories
Favorite ribs
Any chances of coming back
Thoughts on the lack of kayfabe today
Do you still have a passion for the business
What do you miss most and least about being a full time wrestler